a healthy child

 

July 23rd -- it was a night the heavens opened up over Chicago, a night of torrential, relentless thunderstorms that tore their way through the city and suburbs with frequent and sudden downpours.  Within hours, flooding was occurring in areas throughout Chicago, closing roads and bringing traffic to a virtual standstill.  Not surprisingly, Chicago washed away its old record rainfalls that night with 4” – 8” falling in the city and suburbs.  It was one for the history books in so many regards . . .

 

For the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, it was a night we won’t soon forget. At around midnight, as the rains pounded away outside, alarming things were happening inside the Clinic.  Behind the wall in our Medical Records area is a pipe that drains rainwater from the roof of the Clinic to a sewer outside.  As the rain continued to pummel the building, the sheer size and force of the deluge blew off the cleanout cap attached to the pipe.  Within minutes, water began pouring into the lower level and subsequently into the subbasement with the force of an open fire hydrant.  The water would continue to pour into the Clinic for nearly another 12 hours.

 

Almost immediately, water sensors at the Clinic began to sound an alarm.  The police were notified at about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 24th and IWS staff arrived shortly thereafter. It was a sobering sight that greeted them.  There was 2” of water throughout the lower level, and 3’ of water had accumulated in the subbasement, an area Dr. Wilhelm describes as “the heart of the place” containing all the electrical and mechanicals for the building.  

The floodwater had destroyed the Clinic’s electrical system.  All of the panels were submerged and there was significant damage to the floor coverings and wallboard throughout the lower level including Medical Records, Child and Adolescent Counseling, the server room, the lunchroom, the locker room and an Auxiliary storage area.  Fortunately, our medical records had been stored in shelves well above the area affected by the floodwater.  So, although the records needed to be dehumidified, they were largely unaffected by the flood. Another bit of good news was that the computer servers were not damaged either.   

 

When daylight came, Dr. Wilhelm began calling senior staff members to apprise them of the situation.  They, in turn, contacted our patients who had been scheduled to be seen at the Clinic that Saturday.  Our Chief Financial Officer, Stan Jewell, called the Clinic’s representatives at Hartford Insurance who in turn contacted the appropriate companies in regard to clean-up after the flood.

Soon thereafter, a large generator was transported to the Clinic to provide limited power.  Then, a service crew arrived to begin draining the water and drying the air. In order to do so, the service team funneled two 2’ hoses into the Clinic – one was removing moist air while the other pumped dry air into the subbasement and lower level.  The crew also began work cutting out the damaged wallboard and insulation and pulling up the carpet on the lower level. When that phase was completed, a contractor was hired to begin the repair work.  The clean-up and repair effort in the lower level took about six weeks to complete.  

 

Early the week of July 26th, Dr. Wilhelm assembled his senior staff for a brainstorming session.  He said there were basically two options on the table the day they met – either the Clinic could close entirely until the repair work had been completed (probably 8 – 10 weeks) or an alternate site could be identified for a satellite facility to see patients. There was consensus that the latter alternative was preferable.  The only decision to be made was to identify that satellite site as soon as possible.  

 

Dr. Wilhelm said that he thought of a possibility almost immediately – and it was within view of his office window.  A chiropractor’s office is located just across the street from the Clinic, and Dr. Wilhelm and Medical Director Dr. Kisti Catalano went directly there following the meeting to talk about the possibility of using his office.  Fortunately,

Dr. Shoar was amenable to allowing IWS to see patients there on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and all day Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

 

The volume of patients seen at the satellite site was significantly less than would be the case in our Clinic.  There, we see patients all day Monday through Friday and two evenings per week as well as two Saturdays every month. However, the fact that we were able to continue seeing patients at all in these demanding circumstances is remarkable in and of itself.  Impressively, IWS provided continuity of care for its patients despite the incredible challenges posed by the flood.  

 

Another situation that had a major impact on volume is the fact that dental and optometry patients were not being seen at the satellite facility, as that equipment was not available in the temporary office space.  Those services began to be provided again when the staff returned to the Clinic in early October.

 

According to Medical Director Dr. Kisti Catalano, most patients were understanding of the situation and appreciative of the fact the Clinic did its utmost to ensure they receive care.  She says, “Many of our patients were affected by the flooding themselves, and they realize how difficult it was to maintain any sense of normalcy in situations like this.  My patients tell me they are thankful that IWS was still there for them – even if our Clinic building was affected.”

 

“Everyone’s been a hero” – that’s how Dr. Wilhelm described his staff.  “All of them went above and beyond the call of duty, and we’re very lucky to have employees who are willing to be flexible, innovative and industrious in unusual times like this.”  For example, our dentists and dental assistants helped out in Medical Records that were temporarily housed in a funeral home located in close proximity to the Clinic.  The server room operated out of a staff member’s apartment.

 

Finance and insurance issues were addressed in the home of Stan Jewell, our Chief Financial Officer, and space was rented on Foster Avenue for our accountants.  The Child Development team conducted home visits and also relied on space at Erikson Institute, while Child & Adolescent Counseling specialists met with their patients in libraries, in patients’ homes or at the Logandale Middle School.

 

The most pressing need following the clean-up was the restoration of power to the building. Because the electrical units were damaged beyond repair, bids needed to be obtained for their replacement.  Once these were evaluated and reviewed by the insurance company, arrangements were made to purchase new units.  These arrived in mid September.   

                                                  

Power was restored to the building by late September, and the Information Technology team had the server room and computers operational within a week.  At that point, the staff returned to the building and services were gradually restored.

 

Certainly, the response of the IWS staff has been nothing short of extraordinary, and that old adage “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” seems to have a new meaning now.  However, even given the Clinic’s Herculean response to a catastrophic situation, the financial implications of the flood are significant and sobering. Obviously, there will be a sizable dip in revenue, as we didn’t have the volume of patients we typically would in the Clinic.

 

And there was some attrition of patients who sought care elsewhere – particularly at this time of year when so many families come to the Clinic for their children’s back-to-school examinations.  But Dr. Wilhelm remains confident that the trend he saw when we moved from Lincoln Park to Logan Square will manifest itself once again.  “We noticed that some of our Halsted Street patients changed their medical providers when we moved to Fullerton Avenue, and we had anticipated this would occur.  However, it was gratifying to see many of them ultimately return to us in our Logan Square location.  More often than not, they’d cite the quality of care they received at IWS as the reason they came back.  I fully expect that same thing to happen now.”  Realistically, Dr. Wilhelm foresees about a six-month recovery period before the Clinic returns to normal patient volume and the resulting revenue increase.  

 

The Auxiliary applauds the efforts of our dedicated IWS staff members who did a superb job in very difficult circumstances.  Our organization will continue to do its utmost to support the Clinic at this challenging time, for IWS remains our top priority -- in good times and bad.

 

Certainly, there’s no way to control the vagaries of Mother Nature – and she was at her tempestuous best on the night of July 23rd.  But it’s gratifying to know that what could be controlled – that is IWS’ response to the situation – was handled in a thoughtful, efficient and effective manner.  For that, we extend our thanks to the entire IWS team ably led by Dr. John Wilhelm.  These past several months have put extraordinary pressure on the staff, and they responded like the seasoned professionals they are.  We thank them for their hard work, and we are all thankful to be “back home” at 3600 W. Fullerton Avenue.

 

When the Clinic’s cleanout cap blew off, water began pouring into the building’s lower level with the force of an

open fire hydrant.

Frank Palmieri, Manager of Facilities and

Luis Rodriguez, Maintenance, were a constant presence during the clean-up and repair after the flood.

Subcontractors from ServPro transported medical records to the Clinic after they had been dried and disinfected.

Dental Assistant Janet Acosta, Dental Director Dr. Sheila Hall and Dental Assistant Anabel Gonzalez helped to restock the Resale Shop.

Dental Assistant Angelica Garcia lent a

helping hand as the Dental Clinic prepared

to see patients again in early October.